Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.

org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol.4, No.18, 2013

Bullying in Schools: Psychological Implications and Counselling

Interventions
M. B. I. Omoniyi Ph. D.
Department of Guidance and Counselling, Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria.
E-mail of the corresponding author: Zioncan25@yahoo.co.uk

Abstract
Bullying behaviour is no doubt becoming a common feature and a nightmare in schools both in and outside
Nigeria. It is a worrisome practice in schools because it infringes on the child’s right to human dignity, privacy,
freedom and security. The physical, emotional and educational consequences of bullying behaviour can never be
underestimated.This paper therefore endeavour to further bring into context the bullying behaviour in school, the
characteristics of bullies and their victims and the psychosocial and psychological effects on the victims.
Thereafter, intervention and specific counselling strategies were offered. With the hope that when fully
adopted, educators and other stake holders can begin to address the problems of bullying and may
encourage a zero bullying tolerance within and outside the school community. Key words: Bullying, gender,
psychological implications, counselling interventions.

1. Introduction
Schools have always been recognised as an institution for the transfer of knowledge and culture to the future
generation. It is a dynamic human system dedicated to the nurturing of mutual growth and understanding
between children and adult.
The school is an institution designed for the teaching of students enrolled in it, and part of the purpose of the
school is to develop the student through knowledge acquisition so that he/she may become a social being. By
this, the student is expected to learn how to relate with fellow students, teachers and significant others in the
school on the one hand, live in a harmonious way (by blending with societal values) in the society on the other
hand. The school is also expected to be a place where students should feel safe and secure, and where they can
count on being treated with respect. The reality, however seem to be that only few students or pupils can
harmoniously blend with their school mates without experiencing violence in the school.
Although the school had always remained one of the safest places, next to the home in a child’s life, one wonders
if this still holds sway in our present society given the ever increasing spate of violence in our schools. Violence
in schools is an issue that has become more prominent in the last few years, as news articles about violent deeds
within the school setting is now on the increase. Despite the increasing rate of violence in schools, the society
still expects that the school should be a safe place for students. Thus, in order to maintain a peaceful and safe
school environment, stakeholders in education have tended to concern themselves with the problem of violence
and bullying in our schools.
Violence as defined by the World Health Organisation (2002, as cited in Federal Ministry of Education, 2007),
is the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or
against a group of community that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death,
psychological harm, mal-development or deprivation. In this definition, there is a very strong correlation
between intentionality and committing of an act itself, irrespective of the outcome it produces. This definition
also excludes may unintentional incident, such as road traffic injuries and burns (Federal Ministry of Education,
2007). Violence broadly speaking includes any condition or act that creates a climate in which the individual
feels fear or intimidation in addition to being victims of assault, theft or vandalism. This, as a matter of fact, is
becoming a growing problem in our schools.
In schools, the learners are the centre of focus. They are of utmost importance hence, adequate information about
the pupils is necessary for any meaningful learning to take place. For teachers effort not to be wasted and for
learners to change along with the set goals, such factors that affect learning and teaching, which include child
growth, age heredity, interest, home and social effects and violence in school including school bullying need to
be addressed. 1.1 Concept of Bullying
From the psychological perspective, bullying as a behavioural characteristic can be conceptualised in a number
of ways. It can also be taken to be a subset of aggressive behaviours. As with aggressive behaviour generally,
bullying intentionally causes hurt to the recipient. This hurt can be physical and psychological. Bullying
behaviour infringe on the child’s right to human dignity, privacy, freedom and security. It has an influence on the

70
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol.4, No.18, 2013

victims physical, emotional, social and educational well being (Wet, 2008). Bullies frequently target people who
are different from themselves and they seek to exploit those differences. They select victims they think are
unlikely to retaliate such as persons who are overweight, wear glasses, or have obvious differences: big ears,
noses, eyes or severe acne. Such victims are common subjects of ridicule in the hands of bullies (Olweus, 2004).
However, these differences do not necessarily need to be physical, as students who learn at a different pace or are
anxious or insecure may also be target of bullies.
Bullying can be described as repeated negative events, which occur over time and are directed at special
individuals and which are carried out by one or several other people who are stronger than the victim. Negative
events may be aggressive physical contact in form of fights and shoving, verbal threats and mockery, grimacing
or cruel gesturing.
Bullying occurs when a person wilfully and repeatedly exercise power over another with hostile or malicious
intents. A wide range of physical or verbal behaviour of an aggressive or anti-social nature are encompassed in
the term bullying. These include humiliating, harassing and mobbing (Hagan & Sprague 1998). Bullying may
also assume less direct forms (“Psychological bullying”) such as gossiping, spreading rumours, shunning or
exclusion (Pepler & Craig, 1999).
Olweus (2004) defines a victim of bullying as when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and overtime, to negative
actions on the part of one or more other persons. These negative actions are understood as being intentionally
inflicted on someone to cause injury, fear or distress. The goal of bullying is generally to cause distress in
some manner and it usually takes place among children who are not friends (Garrity, 2010).

2. Prevalence of Bullying in School

According to Federal Ministry of Education (2007), since the last decade, several cases of violence against
children such as torture, kidnapping, shooting, sexual harassment, rape, corporal punishment and so on have been
reported in various newspapers, magazines and television station all over the world. However, there is lack of
documentation of most of the violent acts. This lack of documentation and increasing violence rate against
children were part of the reasons for the global in-depth study of violence against children by the UN
SectaryGeneral as directed by the General Assembly Resolution 57/90 of 2002 to provide a global picture.
Specifically, bullying as a sub-set of school violence among school-age children occurs in many schools across
the globe (Aluede, 2006). Despite lack of documentation of incidents of bullying across the globe, studies
conducted in various countries have indicated that a growing percentage of student population is being
bullied everyday across the globe and that the rates of bullying vary from country to country (Duncan, 1999).
In Canada, self-report data indicate that 8% to 9% of elementary school children are bullied frequently (i.e., once
or more a week) and about 2 to 5% of students bully others frequently. In addition, among adolescents, at the
secondary school level, rate are somewhat higher, with 10 to 11% of students reporting that they are frequently
victimized by peers, and another 8 to 11% reporting that they frequency bully others (Rocke-Henderson &
Bananno, 2005).
In the United States of America, bullying behaviour occurs in many American schools and is perhaps one of the
most under-reported safety problems (Batsche & Knoff, 1994). However, American schools harbour
approximately 2.1 million bullies and 2.7 million are their victims (Fried, 1997). Specifically Rigby (2011) in his
study found that 81% of their sample reported at least one act of bullying behaviour during the last month.
Another study found that 82% of the respondents were bullied at some period in their academic lives. In addition,
several studies from different parts of the US have reported 10-29 percent of the student surveyed were either
bullied or victims (Kenny, 2005).
In the United Kingdom, bullying behaviour is also a pervasive problem. For instance, McEachern, (2005) study
of 6,758 students in 24 schools in all areas of the city of Sheffield, UK revealed that 27% of the elementary and
middle schools sampled reported being bullied sometimes during the term. In a similar vein, in another of his
study of 7000 elementary and secondary school students in the UK, he observed that 29% of boys and 24% of
girls in the elementary schools experienced some form of physical bullying. The study further revealed that
approximately 41% of boys and 39% of girls experienced verbal bullying.
In the Scandinavian countries, research indicates that approximately 10% of children are frequently victims of
bullying. Specifically, in Norway, 14% of the children are either bullies or victims. In Denmark, though little
systematic research on bullying has been conducted, one significant study published in that country revealed that
in comparison to 24 other countries, Denmark scored high (top three) on bullying behaviour and in the top half
for students who reported being bullied (McEaschern, 2005).
In Africa, Zindi (1994) revealed in his study of bullying at boarding schools in Zimbabwe that 16% of the
sampled students were bullied now and then, and 18% were bullied weekly or more often.

71
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol.4, No.18, 2013

In Nigeria, even though cases of bullying had been reported in many schools, this deviant act is not always given
any desirable attention. Furthermore, there are no available statistical facts to show the actual number of students
that are bullied or victims in Nigerian schools. This lack of statistical facts and absence of well documented
evidence have made it difficult to appreciate the prevalence of bullying behaviour in Nigeria (Aluede & Fajoju,
in press; Umoh, 2000).
Despite the absence of documented evidence of the prevalent rate of bullying in Nigeria, Egbochuku’s (2007)
study on some Nigerian students in Benin City revealed that almost four in every five participants (78%) reported
being bullied and 85% of the children admitted to bullying others at least once. Using moderate criteria, the study
further indicated that more than half of the students (62%) were bullied and 30% bullied others. Ehindero (2010)
also observed four types of peer victimization among secondary school students in Osun: physical victimization,
social manipulation, verbal victimization and attack on property.
In a somewhat first ever nation-wide situational analysis survey of school violence in Nigeria conducted by the
Federal Ministry of Education (2007), it was revealed that physical violence and psychological violence
accounted for 85% and 50% respectively of the bulk of violence against children in schools. Across school
location, physical violence was more prevalent in the rural (90%) than in the urban areas (80%). Across region,
physical violence in schools is higher in the southern Nigeria (90%) than in the Northern region (79%). So is the
case of psychological violence, which is 61% in Southern Nigeria and only 38.7% in Northern Nigeria.
Furthermore, across gender, physical and psychological violence are almost evenly distributed among males and
females in Nigerian schools.

3. Characteristics of Bullies and Victims

Among the characteristics of children at greatest risk of bullying and victimization, researchers have identified
the following:
Those who bully tend to be hyperactive, disruptive, and impulsive and are generally aggressive toward their
peers, teachers, parents and others. They tend to be assertive and easily provoked (Olweus, 1997). Contrary to
popular belief, aggressive males who bully are not anxious and insecure under a tough exterior and they do not
suffer from poor self esteem. Typically, males who bully have an aggressive personality combined with physical
strength. (Olweus, 1997).
Bullies have little empathy for their victims and show little or no remorse (Craig, 1998) as yet, no empirical
evidence to support a link between bullying and socioeconomic status or ethnicity but they may come from
families where there is lack of attention and warmth toward the child, poor supervision, use of physical and
verbal aggression (Olweus, 1997). Often they have been bullied themselves by adults and will continue bullying
proving there are no consequences.
Those who are victims of bulling show higher levels of insecurity, anxiety, depression, loneliness, physical and
mental symptoms and low self-esteem and male students who are bullied demonstrate anxious personality
patterns and physical weakness. (Pepler, 2009).
Victims of bulling may have poor social skills; are socially isolated and rarely defend themselves or retaliate
when confronted by students who bully them (Pepler, 2009). Boys and girls are equally likely to report being
victimized, while most victims tend to be close to their parents who may be described as over-protective and tend
to be physically weaker than their peers (Roland, 2002). It is observed that the same children are often bullied
year after year and may take drastic action if the problem persists. (vengeance in the form of fighting back,
extreme violent acts or suicide (Smith, 2011).
Bullying usually involves more than the bully and the victim: peers are present in 85 per cent of bullying
episodes in classrooms and playgrounds (Craig, 1998). Peers are drawn into bullying by arousal and excitement
of aggression; they are the audience for the theatre of bullying and provide the positive attention, imitation,
deference and lack of opposition which reinforce the bully’s dominance. Although 80-90 per cent of students
indicate that watching bullying makes them feel uncomfortable, observations indicate that peers assume many
roles: co-bullies, supports, audience and interveners (Pepler, 2009). It is observed that peers tend to give positive
attention to the bully, rather than the victim; there is a risk for peers who align with the victim- they may become
the next victim (Smith, 2011)
3.1 Gender Differences in Bullying
Clear difference emerges in the bullying research among females and males. Commonly, boys bully other boys
and girls; whereas girls are bullied mainly by other girls. (Sampson, 2002). When girls are bullies, they tend to
use more indirect forms of bullying (van der Wal, 2008). Boys tend to use physical might and verbal threats.
Girls use social and verbal threats, such as spreading rumours about one another and excluding one from
the peer group (Hazler, and Oliver, 2007). Girl bullying also includes actions such as social isolation, ignoring,

72
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol.4, No.18, 2013

excluding, and backbiting (Sampson, 2002). Other actions by girl bullies include manipulating friendships and
ostracizing peers (Bosworth, 2009). Adolescent girls, particularly, are prone to name calling, and gossiping (Vail,
2010).
Crick and Grotpeter (2008) have proposed the term relational aggression to cover actions committed by girls
where social interactions are manipulated to cause harm to peer relationships. This would include threats of
expulsion from the peer group, purposely excluding someone form the peer group, and making harmful
statements about a peer in order to cause peer rejection. They believe girls may use this form of peer abuse more
than boys since it harms what concerns them most :their same gender peer relationships.
Some researchers have suggested that there are biological differences in boys and girls, in that girls are
biologically predisposed to value friendships; therefore, that is the arena in which they would express their
emotions (Vail, 2010). Girls tend to be more exclusive in their friendships and more intimate than boys (Ditzhazy
and Burton, 2011). Thus, when problems occur in the girl-to-girl relationships, break ups tend to be more intense
than with boys. Girls tend to rely more heavily on peer feedback to form their self–worth, thus making
adolescent girls especially more susceptible to one another’s comments about their physical appearance,
attractiveness or being part of a peer group (Casey-Cannon, and Gowen, 2011). Regardless of the form bullying
takes, it is the physical and emotional intimidation inherent that create the environment of harassment and abuse
(Ditzhazy and Burton, 2011).
Generally, boys engage in higher amounts of bullying behaviour than girls (Bosworth, 2009). In Kumpulainen
(2008) study, males were more likely than females to stay involved in bullying over a 4-year period of time. It
was found that females, who were involved at one point in time, were not involved four years later. Although the
author is not certain as to what contributes to this trend, he speculate that teachers may be more likely to
intervene when they observe female victims than when they see known bullies, being victimized themselves.
He also found that females in rural areas were more likely to be caught up in bullying than females in the city.
3.2 Development/Maturation Process
During adolescence, identified as a peak time for bullying, children’s bodies change, but not all at the same rate.
Change in puberty seem to be targets for bullying (Hazler, and Oliver 2007). Girls may find themselves the
object of teasing for the transformations their bodies may take (i.e. developing curves, breasts, etc.). Girls who
mature early (middle school) are frequently victims of harassment from others (Ditzhazy and Burton, 2011).
Reasons for being bullied vary, but girls appear to be at a particular risk of being bullied because of their physical
appearances. Hoover (2002) found that facial appearance and being over-weight were among the most common
reasons females felt that they were bullied.
Beane (2008) identified sexual bullying (direct or indirect bullying based on sexual and body development issues
such as sexual orientation) as a form of bullying prevalent among children and adolescents. Fried (2007) found
that 17% of her sample of dance and movement therapists reported sexual abuse as a type of bullying of which
they were victims. The majority reported sexual bullying occurring between 9-12 years of age. Only female
respondents reported this type of bullying. Incidents included trying to pull the victim’s pants down, being teased
for wearing a bra, and having one’s breast fondled by a boy. Grooper and Froschl (2010) found very few
incidents of bullying and teasing to be gender explicit or sexual in nature among children between the ages of 5
through 8 years. However, examples of those they observed included a boy chasing a girl, rubbing up against her,
and trying to grab her buttocks.

4. Psychosocial and Psychological Effects of Bullying

Bullying is pervasive and potentially terribly harmful for bullies, victims, schools and communities. The
consequences of bullying are far-reaching, ranging from lower attendance and student achievement to increased
violence and juvenile crime. And not only does it harm both its intended victims and the perpetrators, it may
affect the climate of schools, morale of teachers, and indirectly, the ability of all students to learn to the best of
their abilities.
Studies have shown that those involved in prolonged and serious bullying of others experience a wide range of
mental health, academic and social problems if they do not receive support (Pepler, 2009, Rowland 2002)
Several longitudinal studies conducted over two decades have recognised bulling behaviour in elementary school
as a precursor of violent behaviour, and show significant links between this behaviour and criminal activity in
adult life. (Craig and Pepler, 1999, Olweus, 1997).
Victims often fear school and consider it an unhappy and unsafe place. Drop out rates and absenteeism are higher
among victimized students (Beane, 2008). Repeated bullying leads to anxiety, low self-esteem, and depression-
problems, that studies have concluded, endure for years (Olweus, 1997).

73
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol.4, No.18, 2013

The impact of bullying extends well beyond the bully and the victims, to the peer group, school and community.
Those who are not directly involved, but who regularly witness bullying at school, may suffer from a less secure
learning environment, the fear that the bully may target them next, and the knowledge that teachers and other
adults are either unable or unwilling to control bullies behaviour. Student surveys reveal that only a small
percentage of students seem to believe that adults will help, observing that adult intervention is infrequent and
ineffective and that telling adults will only bring more harassment. Parents are often unaware of the bullying
problem. Students report that teachers seldom or never talk with their classes about bullying (Charach & Ziegler,
2005).
The adolescent girls in the Casey-Cannon and Gowen (2011) study reported feeling sad, unhappy, hurt, or
rejected as a reaction to peer victimization. Some of the girls reported that they felt bad about themselves based
on comments that were made by bullies and some even reported losing relationships as a result of the
victimization, Oleus (2004) found that girls who were victims of peer victimization had a fear of negative
evaluation by their peers as well as a tendency to avoid social situations. Further, Pepler and Craig (1999) found
that girls who were victims of what they termed “social aggression” felt sadder, more surprised, and worse about
themselves than boys. These threats to friendship seemed to be more distressing for girls than boys as girls
tended to think about them more.
Van der Wal (2008) found that bullying had a significant effect on depression and suicidal ideation in girls as
compared to boys. In fact, the impact of being bullied on depression was higher in those who had suffered
indirect bullying compared to those who were victims of direct bullying. This questions the belief that direct
bullying is more harmful than indirect. Roland’s (2002) research supports this in that he found that females, both
victims and bullies, had significantly higher scores on measures of depression and suicidal thoughts than their
peers not involved in bullying. Specifically, girl bullies had significantly more suicidal thoughts than girl victims.
He concludes that for bullies, home dysfunction may contribute to their depressive feelings; whereas for victims,
being bullied is the reason they are depressed.
Emotional and social behaviour is not the only aspect of children’s lives affected by bullying. Academic
performance seems to suffer also. Roberts and Coursol (1996) found that repeated bullying is associated with
absenteeism and poor academic performance, and that pupils bullying can cause them to have difficulty
concentrating on their academics.
4.1 Assessment
Bullying among pupils may sometimes be covert; consequently, it may be more difficult for outsiders to observe
these behaviours .Sometimes, these actions are perceived by adults as typical children and adolescent behaviour
and go undetected. In addition, Roland (2002) hypothesized that anxiety seems to put children at risk for being
bullied more than depression. Thus, identifying children who are anxious and working on reducing their anxiety
levels may assist them in avoiding being targets of bullying.
Counsellors can administer surveys to determine the extent of the problem in their schools. Weir (2001)
suggested the following question that can be asked of students suspected of not doing well in school and who
may be victims of bullying. They include: At recess, do you usually play by yourself or with other children?
Have you ever been teased at school? What kinds of things are you teased about? Other questions may be: how
do you feel when you are teased by others? What does it make you want to do? These questions can provide a
good starting point for gaining an understanding of children’s victimization and reactions to such.

5. Intervention Strategies
To reduce the incidence of bullying and prevent its occurrence, individual, groups and systematic interventions
need to be implemented in schools. These interventions should be comprehensive in their scope and involve
students, teachers, administrators, parents and the host community.
5.1 Counselling strategies
The association between bullying and psychosocial health differs between boys and girls, therefore practitioners
must be cognizant of this when developing interventions (Van der Wal, 2008). And Since bullies tend to show
little empathy for their targets (Ditzhazy and Burton, 2011), school psychologists and counsellors will need to
provide interventions to improve students’ level of compassion and empathy. These include activities that foster
sensitivity for the feelings of others. Role reversal techniques where students role play situations in which they
place themselves in the position of others may help to increase empathic understanding.
For example, the counsellor or psychologist may ask the student bully, “Bimbo, I heard from Biola and others
who witnessed it, that you made put down remarks to Biola about the way she was dressed, and then you pushed
her into the wall. Is that right?”. Bimbo responds, “Yeah, I really dissed her. She thinks she is smarter than
everybody else. She is an idiot and dressed like one. “ Counsellor then advises Bimbo that pushing is not

74
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol.4, No.18, 2013

allowed, and asks Bimbo, “I wonder if you would play Biola and Biola you can be Bimbo and say and do
exactly what she did?”. After the role reversal, the counsellor asks the girls how they felt to experience each
other’s feelings. Further dialogue and communication would focus on exploring other ways to communicating
that are not hurtful. Radd (2008) developed a process that integrates self-esteem activities with life skills
development. The counsellor discusses with students the value of all people and their uniqueness. The counsellor
then goes on to tell them that because all people are special, valuable, and unique, all people have a responsibility
to help and not hurt others. The importance of this is related by choosing helpful and non-hurtful ways of
behaving toward others. If you choose to hurt someone, then you are forgetting how special and valuable you are.
The question that may be asked would be: “How do you act toward those that are special to you?”. A discussion
about the consequences of hurting others, specifically one’s self-esteem (e.g. feeling bad about oneself) can then
be initiated.
5.2 Specific Counselling Techniques
Assertiveness training is a helpful skill for children to enable them to avoid being victims of bullies. Beane
(2008) suggested teaching children “to say “Leave me alone” or “Buzz off” with confidence and anger and them
to walk away with confidence”. When children communicate a sense of self-confidence to bullies, they are less
likely to be targeted. It has been shown that children who do this are less likely to be victims than those who say
nothing to the bully (Olweus, 2004). Moving away from a position of passivity can help children avoid being
victims. When victims respond in a manner that is not rewarding for the bully (i.e. assertive), they are less likely
to be bullied again.
Bosworth (2009) found a strong relationship between general levels of anger and bullying, indicating a need for
intervention in this area. Essentially, this means that those children who were angry and engaged in misconduct
were the most likely to commit bullying. Anger management interventions such as the use of incomplete
sentences, anger management games, and peer mediation can help students diffuse anger and also cope with its
occurrence and after affects. Further, he reported that a lack of confidence in being able to use non-violent
strategies such as talking out a disagreement were associated with higher levels of bullying.
Bullies may also be assisted in learning non-violent strategies to solve conflicts, thus helping them avoid future
bullying. Interventions may include sufficient opportunities to build confidence in using these new behaviours.
Repeated role-playing with feedback and correction can be helpful to learn these new skills. Children can also be
helped with handling social situations in general so that they do not resort to bullying. Assisting children in
managing emotions, such as anger, depression and impulsivity, in more constructive ways may assist them in
abandoning their role as bullies.
Group can be of assistance when dealing with female bullying. Rigby (2011) discusses interventions such as
female only groups, where girls have the opportunity to talk about issues out in the open, rather than acting
covertly. Paquette and Underwood (2009) also found that girls were more likely than boys to talk about their
victimization and tell someone about it, which may make them more amenable to a group counselling setting.
5.3 Prevention Programs
Bullying may be lessened through anti-bullying programs in schools that serve to raise awareness of the problem,
target school culture, and work with pupils directly. Most schools may have policies about overt, physical
aggression, but do not adequately address indirect forms of bullying School counsellors can play a critical role in
preventing bullying in their schools by providing interventions to both victims and bullies.
Esplelage (2001) contends that bullying “might be a type of behavioural strategy to manage the emotions of
anger, impulsivity, and depression”. Thus, prevention programs should focus on these emotional indicators. He
further suggested that an important component of prevention programs are the messages that school personnel
and other significant adults in the child’s life provide regarding violence and teasing.
There are some structural changes that can take place at schools to help reduce the incidence of bullying. More
supervision and monitoring in school areas where bullying may likely occur can help to decrease its occurrence.
These areas include the playground, the cafeteria, hallways, and classrooms prior to class time . Beane (2008)
suggested implanting strategies to structure some of the more unstructured times at school, such as recess. For
example, have the students plan an activity they will engage in during this time or provide a place for children
who prefer quiet study.
In addition, there is evidence that suggests school personnel often do little to intervene in bullying. Charach and
Ziegler (2005) Grooper and Froschl (2000) found that in 71% of the incidents of bullying, although teachers and
other school personnel were present, they did not become involved in stopping the behaviour. However, both
boys and girls in this study, wanted teachers to stop ignoring bullying and become involved. Helping teachers
identify more subtle forms of bullying, such as those demonstrated by girls, may be necessary . Educating
teachers about bullying and ways in which they can effectively intervene may assist in lowering the incidence of

75
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol.4, No.18, 2013

bullying. Parents, too, may need to be educated about identifying the signs of bullying in their children or being
more open to asking their children directly about bullying experiences.
Community involvement is essential. School personnel should contact community leaders to discuss the
prevention program at their school and solicit their support and involvement. Community-school partnerships
can be formed to assist with funding that can help to provide resources for the program. Church, Mosque and
community organizational leaders can be contacted to encourage them to reinforce a zero bullying tolerance
beyond the school walls.

References
Aluede, O. (2006). Bullying in Schools, A form of child abuse in schools. Journal of International Psychology
35 (1), 37-49.
Aluede, O. and Fajoju, A.S. in press, Bully behaviour among Secondary school students in Benin Metropolis of
Edo State, Nigeria. Zimbabwe Journal of Educational Research.
Batche, G.M. and Knoff, H.M. (1994). Bullies and their victims. Understanding a pervasive problem in schools.
School Psychology Review. 23 (2), 165-174.
Beane, A. (2008). The Trauma of Peer Victimization Madison CT: University Press Inc.
Blake, E. and Aluede, O. (2005). Bullying in Schools: International variations. Journal of Social Sciences
(special edition) 8, 51-58.
Bosworth, K.I. (2009). Factors associated with bullying behaviour in middle school students. Journal of early
adolescent. 19, 341-362.
Casey-Cannon, S. and Gowen, K. (2011). Middle School girls Report of Peer Victimization, concerns,
consequences and Implications. Professional School Counselling. 5 (2), 138-147.
Charach, D. and Ziegler, M. (2005). Victims of Peer aggression. Developmental Psychology 24, 809.814. Craig,
W. (1998). The relationship among bullying, depression, anxiety and aggression among elementary school
children. Personality and Individual Differences, 24 (1), 123 -130.
Crick, N.R. and Grotpeter, K. (2008) Relational aggression, gender and social-psychological adjustment Child
Development. 66 (7), 710-722.
Ditzhazy, E.R. and Burton, M. (2011). Bullying: A perennial school problem. The Delta Kappa Gamma
Bulletin. 70, 43-48.
Duncan, R.E. (1999). Peer and Sibling aggression: An investigation of intra and extra–familial bullying. Journal
of interpersonal violence. 14 (3), 871-886.
Egbochuku, E.O. (2007). Bulling in Nigerian Schools. Prevalence study and implication for counselling.
Journal of Social Sciences. 14, 65-71.
Ehindero, S.A. (2010). Types and Prevalence of Peer Victimization Among Secondary School Students in Osun
State, Nigeria: Implications for counselling. s, 53-60.
Esplelage, D.K. (2001). An examination of potential demographic, psychosocial and environmental influences
of Bullying. Violence and Victim. 16 (4), 411-421.
Federal Ministry of Education (2007). The national strategic framework for violence free basic education in
Nigeria, Abuja: Federal Ministry of Education.
Fried, S. (1997). Bullies and Victims. American Journal of Dance Therapy. 19 (2), 127-133.
Fried, S. (2007). Bullies and Victims: Children abusing children. American Journal of Dance Therapy. 40,
102109.
Garrity, C.K. (2010). Bully Proofing your school. A Comprehensive Approach for Elementary Schools
Longmont, Co.: Sopris West Educational Services.
Grooper, N. and Froschl, M. (2010). The role of gender in young children’s teasing and bullying behaviour,
Equity and Excellence in Education. 33 (1), 48-56.
Hagan, T. and Spraque, N. (1998). Understanding and Preventing Victimization. An Annual Review of Research
(Vol. 17) Chicago: University of Chicago press.
Hazler, B. and Oliver, D. (2007) Bulling and the child who stammers. British Journal of Educational
Psychology, 61, 355-372.
Hoover, J. H. (2002). “Bullying Perceptions of adolescent victims in the Midwestern USA”. School Psychology
International. 13 (3), 5-16.
Kenny, M. C. (2005). Female Bulling: Preventions and counselling interventions. Journal of Social Sciences
(Special issues) 8. 13-19.

76
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol.4, No.18, 2013

Kumpulaine, K. (2008). Children involved in bullying. Psychological disturbance and persistence of

involvement. Child Abuse and Neglect 23 (12), 1253-1262.
McEaschern, J.D. (2005). Bulling in Schools Mainstream and Special needs. Support for learning. 7 (2), 3-7.
National Policy on Education (2007) Lagos: Federal Government Press.
Olweus, D. (1997). Annotation Bullying at School: Basic facts and effects of a school based intervention
program. Journal of child psychology and psychiatry. 35 (4) ,1171-1190.
Olweus, D. (2004). Bully and Victims Problems among school children,. New Jersey: Erlbaun.
Paquete, J.A. and Underwood, M.K. (2009). Gender differences in young adolescent experiences of peer
victimization: Social and Physical aggression Merrill-Palmer Quarterly. 45 (2), 242-266.
Pepler, D. G and Craig, W.M. (1999). An evaluation of an anti-victimization intervention in Toronto Schools.
Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health, 13 (2), 95-110.
Pepler, L. (2009). Aggression: A social psychological Analysis. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Radd, T.R. (2008). Teaching and Counselling for Today’s World. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Rigby, K. (2011). Bulling Among Australian School Children: Reported Behaviour and attitude towards victims.
The Journal of Social Psychology. 131 (5), 615-627.
Roberts W.B. and Coursol, H. (1996). Strategies for intervention with childhood and adolescent victims of
bulling, teasing and intimidation in school setting. Elementary School Guidance and Counselling. 30, 204-212.
Roberts, K. and Coursol, N (1996). Troublesome Behaviour in the classroom. London: Routledge.
Rocke-Henderson, P. and Bananno, N. (2005). Bullying among school children in Canada Contemporary
Studies in Sociology, 18 (3), 90-98.
Roland, E. (2002). Bullying: Depressive Symptoms and Sucidal thoughts. Educational Research 44 (6), 55-67.
Sampson, B. (2002). Restorative justice and school violence: Problem oriented guide. New Haren CT: Yale
University Press.
Smith, P.T. (2011) Situational and Interpersonal correlates of anxiety associated with peer victimization. Child
Psychiatry and Human Development 25 (3), 97-107.
Umoh, S.H. (2000). Managing the problems of the Nigerian Adolescent through counselling Offa: Federal
Polytechnic.
Vail, K. (2010) “How girls hurt”. American School Board Journal, 189, 14-18.
Van der wal, M.F. (2008). Psychosocial health among young victims and offenders of direct and indirect
bullying. Peadiatrics 111 (6), 1312-1317.
Weir, F. (2001). The health impact of bullying. Canadian Medical Association Journal. 165, 1249-1257.
Wet, R (2008). What Kids say About Victimization. The Executive Educator 14, 20-22.
Zindi, F. (1994). Bullying at boarding School: A Zimbabwe Study: Research in Education 51, 23-32.

Dr. Mary Banke Iyabo Omoniyi, was born in Ijare, Ondo State Nigeria. She has a B. Sc. degree in
Microbiology at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria in 1981, a Postgraduate Diploma in
Education, and Masters degree in Guidance and Counselling from the University of Benin, Benin City, Edo
State, Nigeria in 1989 and 1993 respectively. She had her Ph. D. in Guidance and Counselling from Ekiti State
University, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria in 2001. She is currently a senior lecturer in the Department of Guidance and
Counselling Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria.
Dr. Mary Banke Iyabo Omoniyi became a member of the Counselling Association of Nigeria in 2004, and a
member of the American Psychological Association in 2009. The author’s major field of study is clinical
counselling psychology.

77
This academic article was published by The International Institute for Science,
Technology and Education (IISTE). The IISTE is a pioneer in the Open Access
Publishing service based in the U.S. and Europe. The aim of the institute is
Accelerating Global Knowledge Sharing.

More information about the publisher can be found in the IISTE’s homepage:
http://www.iiste.org

CALL FOR JOURNAL PAPERS

The IISTE is currently hosting more than 30 peer-reviewed academic journals and
collaborating with academic institutions around the world. There’s no deadline for
submission. Prospective authors of IISTE journals can find the submission
instruction on the following page: http://www.iiste.org/journals/ The IISTE
editorial team promises to the review and publish all the qualified submissions in a
fast manner. All the journals articles are available online to the readers all over the
world without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than those inseparable from
gaining access to the internet itself. Printed version of the journals is also available
upon request of readers and authors.

MORE RESOURCES

Book publication information: http://www.iiste.org/book/

Recent conferences: http://www.iiste.org/conference/

IISTE Knowledge Sharing Partners

EBSCO, Index Copernicus, Ulrich's Periodicals Directory, JournalTOCS, PKP Open

Archives Harvester, Bielefeld Academic Search Engine, Elektronische
Zeitschriftenbibliothek EZB, Open J-Gate, OCLC WorldCat, Universe Digtial Library
, NewJour, Google Scholar